Pain & Substance Use Disorder

Opioids can provide powerful relief for pain after surgery or injury, but must be used with extreme caution. Opioids are highly addictive narcotic substances and can be devastating to its victims and their families. Opioid misuse has a compounding ripple effect throughout communities, affecting quality of life, economic opportunity and rural prosperity.  No corner of our country has gone untouched by the opioid crisis, but the impact of this issue on small towns and rural places has been particularly significant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported an average increase in opioid overdose deaths of 30% during 2020 as compared to the previous year and noted that drug overdose death rates continue to rise in both rural and urban areas.  

Great Plains QIN aims to provide best practices, data, tools and training that will be available to support nursing homes and all community partners reduce opioid misuse, adverse drug events and improve Naloxone and Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) uptake. 

The White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose is a nationwide call-to-action to stakeholders across all sectors to commit to save lives by increasing training on and access to life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications.